John Putman at a glance
- Current role
- Circuit Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Arkansas · State
- Judicial service
- Active
John Putman
Circuit Judge · Fourteenth Judicial Circuit
Biography
Professional career
- The Division 3 judge of the Fourteenth Judicial District of Arkansas, which includes Baxter, Boone, Marion, and Newton counties
Education
- Undergraduate degree from the University of Central Arkansas and his J.D. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law.
Additional information
- Judge Putman was first elected to the bench in 2014 and re-elected in 2020.
- He handles 100% of criminal cases in Boone and Newton Counties and approximately 30% of civil and domestic relations cases across all four counties.
- His court has jurisdiction over felony criminal cases, civil cases exceeding $5,000, domestic relations, equity matters, guardianship, probate, and juvenile cases.
- He also served part-time as a deputy prosecutor before his election.
- He resides in Harrison, Arkansas, and previously practiced law privately in Harrison for 17 years.
- Judge Putman has presided over significant cases, including a FOIA lawsuit against the Mountain Home School District, where he ruled that the board violated open-meeting laws by conducting business through text messages.
- His ruling declared the text exchanges as an illegal meeting and enjoined the board from conducting public business outside of public view without proper notice.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Remote appearances
Statewide
Arkansas Judiciary publishes electronic-hearing Zoom resources and court-user guides for remote proceedings.
Zoom Guides for Court UsersArkansas Judiciary: Electronic Hearings With Zoom ↗
Recording and broadcasting
Statewide
Arkansas Judiciary publishes state-district-court digital audio recording guidance as an official court resource.
AOC Provisional Guidelines for Digital Audio Recording in State District CourtsArkansas Judiciary: District Courts ↗
Sources
Identity source checked July 26, 2026.
Biography sources checked July 26, 2026.
Arkansas Judiciary official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Arkansas Judiciary official judicial roster ↗Arkansas Judiciary: Electronic Hearings With Zoom
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Arkansas Judiciary: Electronic Hearings With Zoom ↗Arkansas Judiciary: District Courts
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Arkansas Judiciary: District Courts ↗